Nalanda police bust NEET 'solver gang', MBBS student among 3 arrested

Nalanda: Amid widespread outrage over the alleged NEET UG 2026 paper leak, the cancellation of the May 3 examination, and its reported links to Rajasthan following the detention of several individuals, the Nalanda Police have busted an organised NEET 'solver gang' and arrested a second-year MBBS student along with two others.

The arrested individuals were allegedly part of a “solver gang” that helped candidates appear for exams in place of the original applicants. Their main motive was reportedly to earn money by providing proxy examinees for NEET and other competitive examinations.

For this, the group would collect large sums from aspirants, use forged admit cards and arrange proxies to enter the examination.

The three accused were arrested after being found with a large amount of cash, fake admit cards, and digital evidence linked to the racket. The arrests took place during a high-alert vehicle checking drive conducted ahead of the now-cancelled NEET-UG 2026 exam.

Also read- NEET 2026 Controversy: Doctors' body moves Supreme Court seeking NTA replacement, committee monitored re-exam

Sharing details, Rajgir DSP Sunil Kumar Singh said that strict security and alert checking were in place across the district due to the scheduled exam on May 3.

During routine checking, police stopped two suspicious vehicles and questioned the people inside. On searching the vehicles, police recovered bundles of cash. The accused later said the amount was around Rs 2 lakh.

Following the recovery, the police took all the three accused into custody and seized their mobile phones along with other items that were recovered from their vehicle.

During a forensic examination of their mobile phones the following morning, officers discovered numerous admit cards for various examinations, including NEET, along with records of financial transactions and other pertinent details linked to the racket.

Speaking to ANI, DSP Sunil Kumar Singh said, "Since the NEET examination was scheduled for the 3rd May, a heightened state of alertness was in effect across the entire district. Consequently, we were conducting vehicle checks. We identified two vehicles that appeared suspicious. We stopped the vehicles and proceeded to question the occupants. One individual identified himself as a second-year MBBS student. Upon searching the vehicle, we discovered bundles of currency notes. When questioned about the money, he claimed it amounted to Rs 2 lakh. We took him along with the vehicle to the police station. There were a total of three individuals; all three were taken into custody at the station."

"The following morning, when the officers-in-charge began examining their mobile phones, they discovered numerous admit cards for various examinations, including NEET, records of financial transactions, and other pertinent details... Consequently, the 'solvers' (proxy examinees) were unable to reach the examination centres, where the actual candidates were waiting for them. We had also deployed our own personnel at these locations, and the police force remained on high alert across the entire region. As a result, the solvers failed to gain access to the examination centres... In connection with this case, three individuals have been apprehended. The primary accused is the second-year MBBS student. His accomplice is Aman Kumar Singh. Additionally, a third individual named Pankaj Kumar has been arrested... Furthermore, efforts are underway to identify and locate the mastermind behind this gang... Additionally, the evidence retrieved from their mobile phones is being analysed, and individuals who arrived from various examination centres are being interrogated...," he said.

DSP Singh confirmed that efforts are currently underway to identify and locate the mastermind behind the operation. Meanwhile, authorities are analysing the evidence retrieved from the seized mobile devices and interrogating individuals linked to various examination centres to uncover the full extent of the network. 

NEET cancelled:

The National Testing Agency (NTA) on May 12, 2026, declared the cancellation of the examination held on May 3 and subsequently announced that a re-exam will be held on dates that will be notified separately.

On its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, the NTA posted, "In continuation of its press release dated 10 May 2026, the National Testing Agency wishes to inform candidates, parents, and members of the public of the following decisions taken in respect of NEET (UG) 2026. NTA had, on 8 May 2026, referred the matters then under consideration to the central agencies for independent verification and necessary action, consistent with its standing commitment to the fair, secure, and credible conduct of the national examinations entrusted to it. On the basis of the inputs subsequently examined by NTA in coordination with the central agencies, and the investigative findings shared by the law enforcement agencies and in order to ensure that there is transparency in the system, the National Testing Agency, with the approval of the Government of India, has decided to cancel the NEET (UG) 2026 examination conducted on 3 May 2026, and to re-conduct the examination on dates that will be notified separately."

NTA further informed that the Government of India decided to refer the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation for a comprehensive inquiry into the allegations after it declared to re-conduct the NEET UG 2026 examination soon. Based on the centre's direction, the CBI registered an FIR in the case.

This comes in the backdrop of the probe by the Rajasthan Police Special Operations Group, which reportedly found a “guess paper” containing more than 100 questions similar to those asked in the NEET UG examination. The question paper series under scrutiny has been described as a “guess paper” which reportedly contained around 410 questions. Out of these, nearly 120 questions are alleged to have appeared in the Biology and Chemistry sections of the examination.

The investigation has found that the leaked papers were circulated through WhatsApp and Telegram groups ahead of the NEET UG 2026 examination held on May 3. According to reports, the matter came to light after a Sikar-based MBBS student studying at a medical college in Kerala allegedly shared a PDF of a “guess paper” with his father on May 2. The father, who runs a PG accommodation facility in Sikar, reportedly circulated the document further to a chemistry and a biology teacher who identified the similarities in questions.

As the investigation widened, Rajasthan SOG and later the CBI uncovered what officials described as a multi-state network involving students, coaching-linked persons and middlemen. The alleged leak reportedly spread from Kerala and Rajasthan to Haryana, Maharashtra, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and other states. So far, around 15 to 16 people have been arrested or taken into custody in connection with the case, while nearly 45 people have been detained or questioned during the investigation.

Seeking action, the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) filed a petition before the Supreme Court demanding the replacement of NTA. It urged the Apex Court to issue a direction to the Centre to either replace NTA or fundamentally restructure it "with a more robust, technologically advanced and autonomous body for conducting NEET.

The issue also led to massive protests and condemnation by the medical fraternity, who blamed the NTA and the government for failing to prevent another paper leak controversy in 2026. They have criticised the authorities for playing with the future of over 22 lakh aspirants who appeared for the exam and are again forced to re-appear. 

Also read- NEET 2026 row: Doctors' body urges PM Modi to dissolve NTA, NMC